


Maybe Now was the Time

by SamJoinedtheReconCorps



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, First Campaign, First Kiss, I WEEP, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Post Episode 33, Unrequited Love, i just got into critical role and they're ruining my life, subtle hints, they're so cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 01:50:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18085124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamJoinedtheReconCorps/pseuds/SamJoinedtheReconCorps
Summary: Two times Vax almost died, and the moments in between that made those moments matter - and the one time he finally made a moment instead of waiting for it.





	Maybe Now was the Time

**Author's Note:**

> soooooooooo I have no excuse for any of my other fics, I've been missing for ages, and this is my first time back from the dead, but I couldn't help myself I just started critical role and i'm on episode 33 and holy shit I love Vax and Keyleth so much like oh my God
> 
> this is really short but I hope you all like it!

As he began to fall, feeling unconsciousness beckoning him into it's embrace, Vax couldn't help but think about his friends - friends that didn't know where he was, bleeding out at the hands of whatever kind of monsters the Briarwoods are. His friends, who he’d spent so much time with.

He thought of Vex, his twin sister. He thinks of her as a young girl, folding linens with their mother. He thinks of her as an adolescent, in lessons, smarter than him. He was so, so damn proud of his sister, of the woman she grew into, hiking over many, many, many miles together - his best friend. His best friend, Vex’ahlia. He hoped she'd get out of this, that she'd be safe and okay. He wished he'd told his sister more often about how much he loved her. He hoped that even through all the teasing she knew that that was the unspoken truth.

Vax also thought of Keyleth. He thought of how beautiful she looked, walking in the trees, in the moonlight. He thought of the bright sound of her laugh and the unsure tension in her shoulders when she was nervous. He thought of the way her tongue poked out when she was concentrating and the passionate determination in her eyes when she used magic.

Without meaning to, he thought of when the two of them braided bows into Trinket's hair. It'd been the two of them - and Trinket - just working quietly and giggling as they went along. Trinket had begrudgingly sat still throughout the process, most likely partly because he liked the attention and also probably because liked seeing his team members happy. Keyleth’s smile had been soft but excited. He remembered how his fingers brushed over hers as they both reached over to fix a bow that had come undone. Vax had felt himself freeze for a split second, the feel of her hand being so soft against his coming as a shock to his system.

He had pushed the feeling aside when they’d slowly pulled away, her soft smile prompting him to ignore whatever that was in order to keep focused on their present.

Vax hadn't realized the depth of his feelings for Keyleth until he'd almost died. Falling to the Briarwoods outside of Sovereign Uriel's palace while death's icy fingers wrapped around his neck had exposed him to that truth - and he feared it'd come a little too late.

He thought of Vox Machina and made out a small prayer to Sarenrae, begging her to watch over them and keep them safe. He didn't want anyone else to get hurt.

* * *

Surviving that attack and going to get the all clear from Brother Tristan had been stressful, to say the least. Vax was tired, and weak, and so annoyed with himself. He’d blown it big time - the Briarwoods got away, he’d almost died, he had put everyone in danger by collapsing so soon.

Keyleth walked by as he sat on his bed with his door open. He hadn’t wanted to sleep with it closed the last couple of nights.

She poked her head in, taking the open door as an invitation. “How are you feeling today, Vax?”

He touched the side of his neck, the bite marks having scabbed over. “I’m better,” he answered truthfully.

Keyleth rang her hands together in front of her a little nervously. “Would you like me to take a look? I-I know what herbs Brother Tristan used at the temple to help - I can at least do that much.”

That was when he noticed the small bag hanging off her shoulder filled with plants that he probably knew nothing about.

“Do as you wish, Healer Keyleth,” Vax grinned, moving his head to the side and exposing his neck to her. He could see her blushing out of the corner of her eye as she got closer. “You’re almost as red as your hair, Kiki. What, are you nervous about your healing abilities?”

“What? Of course not,” she rushed out, taking the herbs and crushing them in her hand, mimicking what Tristan had done. “I just want to make sure you get better.”

She came to stand in front of him, and Vax felt his mouth go dry. Keyleth pressed the salve against his neck, her touch firm but soft. It stung, but it left a soothing sensation. He met her eyes, those beautiful, beautiful eyes.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

 _Maybe now’s the time_.

Keyleth smiled. “Anytime, Vax.” The way she brushed a few strands of his hair out of his face seemed to softly say, _always_.

It was so quiet and comfortable, Vax couldn’t bring himself to risk ruining the moment.

* * *

They’d spent such little time in Whitestone but so much had already been thrown at them. After the mist-vampire attack, Vax knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. He volunteered to take on the first watch, quietly accepting that he was going to go it alone. To his pleasant surprise, Keyleth quietly made her way over to where he sat.

“I’ll stay up with you,” she said, bumping her knee with his. “I haven’t been on watch yet tonight.”

“Thanks, Kiki,” Vax answered fondly, voice warm and soft.

 _Maybe now was the time_.

He subtly leaned in closer to her, trying to make it seem like it was for warmth. Suddenly he felt his sister plop herself down beside them.

“Didn’t want you two staying up on watch all alone,” Vex said, a shiteating grin on her face as she caught the look Vax sent her way. Of course his sister was being like this _now_.

“Half-elves, what, what,” Keyleth grinned, making a “raise the roof” motion with her hands.

Vax couldn’t help but smile at how adorable Keyleth was even as Grog laughed under his breath from where he had settled down in the cellar.

Vex only rolled her eyes at the pining look she saw from her brother as he smiled at Keyleth. She missed the way that Keyleth and Vax’s hands inched ever closer to each other all throughout their turn on guard.

* * *

As soon as the undead giant was finally down, Vax immediately dropped to his knees, sticking his burned hands in a puddle. He could hear Vex and Trinket getting closer to him and the guards, taking their time as they gathered themselves after the fight. He also heard Keyleth’s light tread as she got near.

“What, what, what, what - what?” she stuttered out.

Looking up, Vax met Keyleth’s worried eyes and slowly lifted his hands up to her, hesitantly flexing his aching fingers. “Could you fix these?”

Her hands immediately flew to cover her mouth as she gasped, “Ohh.” Her hands dropped to her chest, “ooh, you’re burnt? I’m sorry.” She reached out and, unsure of where to touch him to help as Vax stood back up.

He could see the guilt in her eyes, the worry and fear about what she’d accidentally done. “Yeah, but it worked, it's good.” Vax flinched a little, feeling the tightness of the burnt skin on his palms, “but they kind of sting a little bit.”

“Okay, okay,” Keyleth breathed, finally putting her hands in his, her touch featherlight so as to not hurt him more.

Vax watched her face - her tongue was poking out as she focused on his hands. The ring on her left hand glowed slightly, the magic flowing from it and straight into his hands, the stinging ache dulling until it was merely a weary soreness in his palms.

He gingerly held her hands after the healing spell was complete. Her eyes met his, and she quietly whispered, “Sorry.”

Before he could get a word out, before he could even give her hands a reassuring squeeze, Vex walked right in between the both of them, breaking their hand holding as she went straight to talk to the guards.

Vax and Keyleth jumped back, shaking their hands - Vex’s intrusion had caused a small flare of discomfort in Vax’s still tender palms while it had startled Keyleth.

He glanced back at Keyleth, seeing her already turning towards the undead stone giant, the moment broken.

 _Not the time_ , he reminded himself. _We’ve a rebellion to fight_.

* * *

With Anders and his suits of armor dead, their immediate threat was gone. However, Ripley seemed to be gone as well.

“C’mon Scalan,” Grog grunted, immediately grabbing the gnome and rushing out of Anders’ study. Grog’s bellowed shouts of “RIPLEY!” could be heard echoing down the halls as they heard them help Trinket chase Anna down. Vex had taken a few steps out into the hall, clearly unsure of whether to follow Trinket, Grog, and Scanlan, or stay with the others.

Percy was sitting in the corner, feverishly cleaning himself and his weapon, the dark smoke still slowly curling around his body - dissipating, but still visible.

Keyleth was at Cassandra’s side, making sure she was alright. She was breathing heavily, but there was no sign of a wound anymore, the healing potion and health restoration seeming to have brought her back to a stable condition.

Vax slowly made his way across the room, clutching his bleeding side. Looking up he could see drops of his own blood splattered on the ceiling, the force of the attack against him having been so extreme.

“That - that was a close one,” he winced, coming closer to Keyleth.

“Yeah,” Keyleth sighed, closing her eyes. She straightened up, “yeah, I kind of, feel like we’ve been here before - oh right.” She opened her eyes, finally meeting his gaze head on. He could see how worried she’d been for him written plainly in her eyes. “Oh right, we have been here before.” It wasn’t hard for him to hear her unspoken fear of losing him in the quiver in her voice.

In that second, hearing the break in shake in her voice, Vax realized there was no such thing as the right time when anytime could be their last time. He made his decision in a heartbeat.

“You know I’m in love with you, right?” He breathed, pulling her in close and kissing her like he almost lost her, like she almost lost him, kissing her like this was the only chance he would ever get, like it was the right time and the last time and the best time, kissing her like he loved her.

* * *

The cold that had haunted Keyleth in Whitestone vanished as soon as Vax kissed her. She had never felt as warm as she did in that moment, in his arms. Who needed Pelor when Vax was offering her all the warmth and sunlight she could ever need.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked it! Thank you for reading and who knows and I might write more for them, they're ruining my life like fuck man I love them so much
> 
> Anyway, here's some of the episode and approximate time stamps of what these scenes are based off of:  
> Vax is on death’s door, thinks of Keyleth, Vex, and Vox Machina - Crimson Diplomacy - Critical Role RPG Show Episode 25 (40:12)  
> Vax and Keyleth on watch - Stoke the Flames | Critical Role RPG Show Episode 30 (1:28:44)  
> Keyleth heals Vax’s burned hands - Against the Tide of Bone | Critical Role RPG Show Episode 32 (1:15:00)  
> Vax kisses Keyleth - Reunions | Critical Role RPG Show Episode 33, pt. 2 (4:04)


End file.
